Air Eve
by IrishDreamer4
Summary: When May, a talented but shy basketball player, moves to LaRousse and enrols in the athletic school, she befriends an abandoned Eevee. May realizes that Eevee loves sports...especially basketball...and she is GOOD!
1. The Amazing Eevee!

**The Amazing Eevee!**

"YOU STUPID POKEMON!"

Eevee whimpered at her trainer's harsh shout. Her owner was always cruel to her, especially after she lost a battle like she did now.

"I WARNED YOU NOT TO LOSE AGAIN!"

A whip lashed at her, striking at her weak body. She cried.

"YOU HAD YOUR LAST CHANCE WITH ME, YOU LITTLE RODENT!"

Another lash, at her face.

"I HAD IT WITH YA! YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN!"

LASH! Eevee felt extreme pain at the nape of her neck and cried shrilly. Her eyes watered. In rage, her trainer smashed her PokeBall into tiny pieces. He growled through clutched teeth and stormed off, leaving behind the Eevee he once owned lying on the dirt, severely injured.

* * *

LaRousse City. City of the Rose. Run by the most advanced technology than anywhere in the regions. The coolest place for young people…

…Not if you're May Maple, rubbing her legs together, sitting on a chair outside while your mother talks with the principle inside the office of your new school.

"…But the problem is May is painfully shy. She won't say a word, not even a hello to anybody since we moved from Petalburg to here."

"Well, LaRousse Jr. High and our fellow High School have a tremendous sport program. We have so many activities running. Anything she likes?"

"Oh well, she loves basketball."

"Wonderful! Our basketball team is looking for a few more players."

May hung her head down, her chocolate-coloured, puppy-dog hair shadowed over her face. She felt silly, letting her mother do all the talking for her. But her mother was right. May was very shy.

She heard footsteps, looking up to see a tall girl with green-blue eyes and short orange hair in a side-ponytail, walking down the hallway. She had a blue/yellow swimming bag over her shoulder.

The girl gave May a welcoming smile as she walked passed. May shyly smiled back. Maybe LaRousse Jr. High won't be so bad.

* * *

Her first day at school was _disastrous._

She rode on her red bike, thinking about the mistake she clumsily made today.

She splattered paint on everywhere _but_ the canvas in Art, sputtered so nervously in English she couldn't get a word out, blew her trombone too hard that it blew off her Music teacher's toupee, and most horribly, slipped in the cafeteria and got her lunch all over her.

The voices of her new schoolmates laughed at her throughout the day. They still taunted her in her head, laughing, jeering, and mocking at her.

_"Eevee…"_

May skidded her bike to a halt when she heard a weak sound.

_"Eevee…"_

She heard it coming from the bushes. She walked forward and looked into the bushes, finding a small, badly injured Eevee. Red and white pieces were scattered all around.

"Oh my gosh! An Eevee!" May gasped. She gently lifted Eevee, carefully stroking her. "You're hurt. Don't worry. I'm getting you to the Pokemon Centre." She got on her bike and cycled her legs off, trying the Centre in this unfamiliar city. Eevee stirred, whimpering in agony. May held her close. "Just hold on, I'm gonna help you. I promise."

When she found the Pokemon Centre, May stormed through the doors and raced up to Nurse Joy. "I found this Eevee and she needs help!"

"Of course!" Nurse Joy said and took Eevee away to be healed. Eevee lifted an eye at May, watching her from her worried stance.

"May!"

May turned around at the mention of her, instantly speechless seeing the girl she saw at the office, panting.

The girl straightened up and smiled at May. "You're May Maple, right? I'm Misty."

"…" May stayed quiet, unsure what to say or do.

Misty stepped closer. "It's ok, I don't bite." She held out her hand.

May shifted her eyes from Misty to her hand. Cautiously, she took it and shook. "…I thought you, like everyone else, thinks I'm a dork…"

"I don't judge. You were having a rough day and left in such a hurry, I tried catching up to when I saw you with Eevee." She smiled sweetly. "I knew you're truly kind and sweet."

May smiled, more brightly. "…Thank you…"

Nurse Joy came back, with a newly healed Eevee. Eevee immediately jumped from Nurse Joy and leaped right into May. She dug herself into May's chest, purring happily.

"I think Eevee likes me." May said, hugging the Pokemon.

"You helped her, of course she likes you!" Misty exclaimed before she dug into her pocket and took out some of the red and white pieces that May found with Eevee. "When you found Eevee, I stop and pick up these."

Nurse Joy examined the pieces then gasped. "Now it makes perfect sense."

"What?" The girls asked.

"There are severe cuts on Eevee, especially on the nape her neck. These are evidence of Pokemon abuse. These are PokeBall pieces…Eevee was abandoned!"

"How awful!" Misty said angrily while May hugged Eevee.

"May, how would you feel about being Eevee's new trainer? She takes quite a strong liking to you."

May looked down on Eevee, looking up with big hopeful eyes, and nodded her head vigorously. "I love too!"

"I better go, I have swimming practice. See you tomorrow!" Misty called as she walked out.

"Bye!" May called back. She smiled at Eevee. "It's you and me now."

Eevee squealed happily in response.

* * *

May brought Eevee home with her and let her Pokemon out to meet Eevee. Combusken, Beautifly, Skitty, Ivysaur, Munchlax and Squirtle all liked Eevee. She was a very playful, energetic little thing.

At dinner, Eevee hopped onto May's lap and tried to get one of her meatballs. She skilfully balanced a meatball on her nose and popped it into her mouth.

"That was great!" Caroline, May's mother, praised with glee.

"She'll make a good Pokemon for you, honey," Norman, May's father, complimented, himself being a Normal-type specialist.

"Hey May" said Max, May's little brother. His Ralts was sitting on his lap. "How was school?"

"I met this one girl, Misty. I think I'm ok with her."

"That's wonderful!" Caroline squealed. "I know you'll make friends!"

After dinner, May went outside to shoot some hoops. She loved Basketball. And she was pretty good too. Eevee watched her, in amazement, throw her ball into the basket, each time perfectly, not missing once.

"May," Norman called, walking out of the door.

May stopped her shooting and turned to her father. "Hi dad," She dropped her ball, allowing Eevee to run over and play with it, and she ran to her father and hugged him, her head in his chest. "LaRousse is so…different."

Norman embraced her with his arms around her and one hand on her head. "Sweetie, I know LaRousse is making it hard to fit in. Its high-tech, moving paths everywhere! Even I don't feel at home." Because of his recent promotion to a Normal-Type Master, they were in LaRousse City. Norman stroked her hair. "But we'll make it through. You have Misty and Eevee." He smiled at Eevee, cutely chasing after the ball. He smiled at his daughter and kissed her forehead. "You know you will."

May smiled back. "Thanks, dad,"

When her dad left, May picked her ball up from Eevee and lightly bounced it, wondering if her dad was right. Will she make it through living in LaRousse?

Eevee scratched on her leg, wanting the ball. May sighed. "Ok, here you go." She tossed the ball aside and Eevee went after it. It bounced up once…Eevee jumped…hit it…and…POP!

May turned around, surprised. She saw the chains of the hoop shaking, the ball bouncing and Eevee panting.

"No way…"

Wondering if she was right, May took the ball and tossed it to Eevee. Eevee jumped and hit it up to the hoop, scoring!

May gasped. She couldn't believe it! A basketball-playing Eevee!

She smiled widely and lifted Eevee. The Pokemon snuggled into the crook of her neck. May stroked her fur. "I'm been playing basketball since I was little. But I never have seen anything like that before."

"Eevee…" Eevee purred. She was happy with May, happier than with her former trainer. Actually…happier than she had ever felt.


	2. An Alley Oop and Slam Dunk!

**An Alley Oop and Slam Dunk!**

May's second day at LaRousse Jr. High was less brutal.

Thanks to Misty, May made less of a fool of herself, but she was still shy. There was a white-haired boy staring hungrily at her though…Gave her shivers. She could feel his stares as she tried to make her way through the cafeteria without slipping her lunch.

Misty came up and led her to a table where a few girls were.

"Girls, this is May. She's new here in LaRousse." Misty introduced. May gave a shy wave to the girls.

"Hi, I'm Dawn!" One of them waved back, very perky. Her navy hair was stylishly arranged with gold hairclips and her bright eyes were a cobalt blue.

"My name's Iris." Another girl greeted coolly. She had mocha skin, relaxing copper eyes and the bizarre hair May had ever seen; coloured violet and done with of a pair of big pigtails with a yellow hair ribbon on top of her head and a ponytail at the tip.

"Marina!" A teal-eyed girl as tall as Misty chirped, with long aqua hair, which curved upward like check marks, in pigtails and a small light-blue cap on her head.

"I'm Isabella." An enchantingly good-looking girl said, with a simple yet dazzlingly smile. She had long, sky-blue hair that was perfectly straight, with curled tips and long loose bangs, bringing out her brilliant midnight-blue eyes. A silver necklace with a round silver pendent with a crescent moon-shaped blue topaz on the centre hung around her neck.

She suddenly frowned. "Brendan is looking at us like we're packets of beef."

"He's staring at May," Misty hissed, keeping a protective arm around the brunette.

"Ever since Drew left, Brendan has taken over the sport scene and is more annoying than ever." Iris commented. Glancing at May's perplexed face, Iris clarified, "LaRousse Jr. High and the High School are very alethic. Sports are everything."

"What do you like, May?" Dawn asked.

May answered very shyly, "I…I like basketball."

Isabella frowned again. "That's a problem. Basketball is the biggest sport around, not to mention Brendan is the captain."

"Misty told us you recused an abandoned Eevee yesterday! You're SO kind!" Marina praised, making May blushed red.

"How is she doing?" Misty asked.

The thought of her precious Pokemon brought a bright smile to her face. "She's amazing. Do you want to come over to my house and see her?" The words slipped out of her mouth, but the girls didn't freak. They actually agreed!

But Isabella had to decline. "I can't. I have to watch my brother."

"How old is he?" asked May.

"11."

"Mine is the same. You can bring him over."

"Nice plan. I will."

* * *

"I'm home!" May shouted as she and her new friends entered through the door. Along with them was Isabella's brother, Alex. He had medium-long curly/wavy black hair with Isabella's sky-blue streaks, dark-cyan eyes from behind small square glasses and dark-tanned skin lighter than Iris's.

"Hello, girls!" Caroline welcomed.

"Hi!" The girls said back.

"Hi," Max said to Alex and they shook friendly hands.

"Hey. Is there somewhere I can skate my board?"

"There's a street down the path."

"Great! Let's go!"

"Lemme get my rollerblades!"

While the boys ran out, May went out to the back, where Eevee was playing with the ball.

"Eevee, I'm back!"

Eevee scampered to her feet and leapt at May, who caught her and hugged her.

"She _SOOOO_ cute!" Dawn cooed.

"Eevee really likes you, May," Misty said.

"You're a way better trainer for her than the loser who left her." Isabella agreed.

May smiled. "Thank you." She glanced at Eevee and to the ball. "I want to show you something." May bounced the ball a few times before Eevee, eyeing the ball. May tossed it to her and Eevee hit it into the basket. _Swift._ May tossed the ball again and Eevee scored perfectly. Soon May and Eevee played like a team in the NBA. The girls were dumbstruck. Once May and Eevee performed another successful shot, May's friends surrounded her, bursting with amazement.

"That was amazing!"

"It was like you were in the air!"

"A basketball-playing Eevee? Now I've seen everything!"

"You play better than Drew and Brendan combined!"

"You have to join the basketball team!" Marina gasped, realizing something important. "The game against Scarlet City is tonight!"

Dawn gasped in response. "May, you should show everyone what you and Eevee can do! I'm on the Cheerleading and Marina's on the band as a majorette. It'll be a great show for half-time!"

May blushed scarlet and tried to protest through stammers. "I-I-I-I-I C-C-Can't! I-I-I-I a-a-a-am t-t-too s-s-shy…"

"May," Isabella stopped her stammering rant. "If you watch from the sidelines, then you'll watch your life go by without you. Take a chance."

"Yeah," The girls agreed. "Come on."

Misty rubbed May's shoulder, reassuringly. Though hesitated, she agreed. "Ok, ok. I will."

She picked up Eevee and stared at her with fake anger and amusement. "Look what you have gotten me into!"

Eevee chirped and licked her nose, earning laughs.

* * *

May was a violently shaking, nail-biting nervous wreck and she hasn't set one foot in the stadium yet! She sat on a bench in the locker room, Eevee played at her feet. She could the noise from the stadium. The LaRousse VS Scarlet City basketball game was rough. Players were literally fighting over the ball, more particularly on LaRousse's snowy-haired captain's part. He was like a beast!

May shivered. _Maybe it was a bad idea…._

"May!" Dawn burst through the door, clad in her red cheerleading uniform and glittery pompoms. "Come on! It's almost half-time!"

She grabbed May and dragged her out, with Eevee trailing.

The gymnasium was packed but LaRousse wasn't winning. Brendan was yelling at his teammates, blaming them for losing. But Eevee didn't care about the score. She just loved to play ball! And so without the slightest hesitation, she ran onto the gymnasium and knocked the basketball right out of Brendan's grip! The crowd went into laughs.

"Eevee!" May shouted.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Dawn shrieked.

"Get it!"

Both teams start chasing Eevee, trying to get the basketball back, shouting after her. It wasn't easy catching her. She knocked over a tank of soda, causing a big spill, hit a referee in the head with the basketball, and knocked down a rack of basketballs and a table!

"Eevee, stop!" May yelled. "Eevee! Get back here!"

Eevee skidded to a halt and scrambled back to her trainer.

May lunged and caught the ball, holding it high up Eevee's reach. "Eevee, no!"

But Eevee won't stop. She jumped, knocked the basketball out of May's hands and up into the basket!

Silence and shock was the first reaction. Then everybody then start cheering for Eevee!

May knelt down and scratched her naughty Pokemon. "Bad girl." Eevee cried shrilly. The pain in her neck was unbearable! "Sorry."

* * *

After the game, May and Eevee were swamped with people amazed with Eevee's performance. They didn't give a half-time show though, but it doesn't matter.

"May! Did you know that Eevee could do _that?_" Norman asked, utterly bewildered. "Did you know that Eevee could play _basketball?_"

"There she is! The lady of the hour! And the Pokemon!" A hyperactive blonde zipped over and cuddled Eevee to death.

"May, this is Bianca. She's the president of our Booster Club." Misty introduced.

"When the girls told me they have a surprise for the half-time show, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes! A basketball-playing Pokemon! Forget half-time! May and Air Eve are our new basketball stars! Wouldn't she be a great mascot?"

Eevee's ears suddenly twitched and perked up. She wiggled out of Bianca's iron grip and headed back for the gymnasium.

"Eevee? Eevee!" May chased after her. She reached Eevee at the doors leading to the stadium, where she heard shouting inside. She peeked through the window. She gasped horrified when she saw Brendan yelling at a pastel-green-headed boy.

"You're never going to drop another ball, Wally!" Brendan threw basketballs at Wally, too hard and too fast for the poor boy to catch any of them. The poor kid was sweating, exhausted, and harshly treated by his captain.

"STOP!" May shouted. She didn't stop herself from throwing the doors open, barging in, and caught a basketball in mid-air when it hurled at Wally.

"What you doing?" Brendan demanded.

"Stopping you from hurting him!" The not-so-shy girl swiftly threw the basketball over her shoulder, scoring a basket and focused her attention on Wally. "It's ok. I got you." The boy blushed and smiled at her. She turned to glare at Brendan. "You shouldn't be venting out your anger on your team!"

"He and_ you_ cost us the game!"

"It's not him or me that's the problem. It's the jerk the team has for a captain!"

"What's going on here?" The principal demanded, coming in. With him was Misty, smirking knowingly with Eevee wearing the same smirk.

"Just running Wally through a little drill." Brendan lied. May shot him a glare of disgust.

But the Principal frowned. "That'll be enough, Mr Birch. That will be enough."

Brendan gave one last glare at May before he left. Unfazed, May helped Wally out and petted Eevee's head at gymnasium door. "Good girl!"

"Eevee brought us here. We saw _everything._" Misty smirked. "Looks like we'll need a _new_ captain soon," She watched May leave with Eevee. "And I have the perfect candidate."


	3. Now or Never

**Now or Never**

"**YOU WHAAA!"** May screamed once Misty told her she volunteered her as captain of the basketball team.

Misty stayed calm and went on to convince the Maple. "You're a better person and player than Brendan. Plus you have a basketball-playing Eevee. You're perfect!"

"Wasn't doing half-time enough for you?"

"No!"

May moaned and tried to distract herself with basketball. But the fear of being a captain took off her concentration and made her missed the hoop. However, Eevee came in and hopped up to hit the ball in the hoop perfectly.

Misty stepped forward, laying a hand on May's shoulder. "Eevee doesn't see it as anything but a game she loves to play with her trainer."

May looked at her and at Eevee with thought. Finally, she came to a decision.

"Ok. I'll do it."

* * *

LaRousse's basketball team was never more successful with May as new captain and Eevee as mascot/player. May worked gently with the players needing work, like Wally, and got them to play better. They won every game, made headlines with great teamwork, coordination, dedication and an amazing Eevee mascot!

Eevee was especially popular with the public, dubbed 'Air Eve' for her talent.

Soon enough, the basketball team made it to the Championship, against Ultra City. The Championship was gonna be televised in all the regions.

Two girls were sitting on the couch, watching TV. Outside, boys were shouting while playing games. The TV was showing the Championship, presenting the teams of Ultra City and LaRousse. The two girls giggled and fawned over the Eevee wearing small white trainers and a red basketball team jersey. Just before the game started, May placed Eevee in the middle of the court. The two girls looked at each other, puzzled. They watched closely as the brunette tossed a basketball at Eevee, the Eevee hopped up, hit the ball high up and…into the basket!

"Drew! Ash! Jimmy! Gary, Paul! Trip, Travis!" The girls screamed.

A black-haired boy ran in, almost tripping on the carpet. "Wha-wha what?"

A navy-violet-haired boy ran in, followed by more boys. "What's going on?"

One girl, with bushy waves, ran up and took the hands of a green-haired boy.

"What Molly?" He asked.

"Drew, you know your old town, LaRousse? You were on the basketball team?" She questioned, pulling him to the couch.

Drew flicked a green-coloured bang, smirking arrogantly. "Yeah, they must be missing me like crazy. The team can't even bounce a ball right."

"Look, look, look!" Little Molly pointed to the TV screen, where the players in red was skilfully managing the ball just fine.

"Doesn't look like they miss you." A boy with luxuriant black, gold-streaked hair mocked, holding the other girl with bouncy brunette locks.

"Check it out." A dirty-blonde motioned to the screen viewing May. She was shouting to her team, keeping their spirits up and had the ball most of the time.

"The new captain's a girl?" Drew blurted confusedly.

"Ain't she a cutie, Drewbie?" His auburn-haired friend smirked.

Drew's lips twitched in a small smirk.

"Not the girl! The Eevee!" Molly snapped.

A purple-headed boy frowned. "Why would we wanna be interested in an E-"

He didn't finish his sentence as May tossed the ball to Eevee and the Pokemon jumped and hit the ball to the hoop, scoring! Needless to say, the boys were gobsmacked.

* * *

"OK guys, we have 3 minutes to make one more score and we win." May spoke passionately to her teammates. "Don't think about the score, think about the game. Keep playing. It's now or never! Let's go!"

The team broke from the huddle and ran out to the court. With 3 minutes on the clock, they gave all their might to win. Thanks to May's leadership, the boys played the best they never thought they could. Brendan was not kind or caring as May was.

2 minutes.

The LaRousse team had the ball but had yet to make a move.

1 minute.

Still had to make a move.

30 seconds!

"May!" Wally passed the ball to her. She caught it and bounced it around, trying to find another teammate over the heads of bulky Ultra City boys. Unfortunately her boys and Eevee were too far away. She glanced at the basket, looking far away too.

10...9…8…7…6…

She had to do this on her own. With a deep breath, she shut her eyes and threw the ball up.

5…4…3…2…1

**BUZZ!**

SHOOT!

"_MAY MAPLE SCORES! LAROUSSE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP!"_

The stadium exploded into roars of joy. Confetti burst out, showering inside. The cheerleaders whooped and jumped up, shaking their pompoms. Eeve ran to her and jumped to be caught in her loving arms. A good sportsman, May shook hands with the captain of Ultra City, thanking him for a great game. She was swept off her feet by her team and carried off the court.

Brendan was only one not enjoying the celebration. He just sulked in the background, scowling at May and Eevee.

May escaped from the excitement for fresh air and space. But she was thrown against the wall by a dangerously glaring man.

"That's my Pokemon, you brat!" He growled.

May widened her eyes. "You…you're her ex-trainer!" She clutched Eevee protectively close. "You're not getting her back."

"I want her back."

"No you don't! You only want Eevee back so you can exploit her talent!"

"Shut up!" The man snatched Eevee right from her and threw her back, very strong and painful that she couldn't kneel without falling.

"No!" May wailed as he walked off with Eevee, the Pokemon she loved. "No…"

"Excuse me," Nurse Joy stopped him, wearing a festive red version of her nurse uniform. "Are you the original trainer?"

The man smirked, keeping the squirming Eevee tightly under his arm. He prided himself for the pretty nurse. "Yes I am."

Then Officer Jenny came behind him, twisted his arm and held it behind his back, making him cry in pain. Nurse Joy took Eevee from him and kept her away from him.

"Then you're under arrest for Pokemon Abuse!" Officer Jenny dragged the screaming criminal away into custody.

"May!" May's friends and family rushed over to her and her father helped her up.

Nurse Joy approached May "I believe this officially belongs to you." She handed out Eevee, who immediately leapt for her.

"Eevee!" May cried, hugging her Eevee tightly as if the man was going take her again.

"What about that man?" Norman asked, keeping his rage under control. Personally, he wanted to handle that jerk himself!

"He will be convicted for serious Pokemon Abuse. The police will be keeping a close eye on him."

However, May was still shaken by the fear of losing Eevee. When she went home and snuggled into bed, her mother tucked her in and stroked her hair.

"Goodnight, honey." Caroline bid, kissing her head and turning off the light on the way out, engulfing May in darkness.

She didn't go straight to sleep. Strong feelings of doubt and fear didn't wash away. She loves Eevee with all her heart. Losing something or someone she loves is starting to grow into a fear of hers.

Then a light popped out from one of her PokeBalls and Eevee was in her bedroom in a second, gazing at her official trainer, smiling at her.

May sat up, blinking. "Eevee?"

Eevee scampered over and climbed onto the bed, curling in May's lap and quickly falling to sleep. May stared down at her lap. A smile curled on her lips. She fell back and hugged Eevee close.

Before she fell asleep, she whispered in Eevee's ear, "I love you so much, Eevee. I'll never let you go."


End file.
